Mapungubwe land claim valid

One of the largest land claim cases to date - the Machete royal family's bid for Mapungubwe, a World Heritage Site - while not yet settled, has been approved as valid, the Land Claims Commission said on Wednesday.

The Limpopo Land Claims Commission spokesperson Motlatsi Lebea said: "The claim has not been settled, but it has been approved as being a prima facie valid claim. "The three parties, the commission, the community and Sanparks, are working together to see how the issue of the claim is going be resolved," he said.

Lebea said "a lot of investigation" would still take place before the claim could be settled. Earlier, Beeld said the claim involved Mapungubwe - earmarked to become a transfrontier national park between Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe - and 56 surrounding farms. - SAPA